What is nutritional yeast + Over 20 ways to use it

Some people have jars of sugar and flour on their counter for easy access. I have a jar of nutritional yeast.

I pull from it several times a day for sprinkling on a chickpea scramble, to give a cheesy flavor to air-popped popcorn, or as a treat for Jezebel and Avon. And when the jar runneth empty, it’s time to make a grocery store run. STAT. It’s not an ingredient I want to be without.

But there was a time when nutritional yeast flakes weren’t a pantry staple. In fact, when I first went vegetarian, I’d never even heard of it before.

What is nutritional yeast made out of?

Nutritional yeast is grown on molasses. It has been dried and is inactive. That means it can’t be used for making raised donuts or breads. And the same holds true the other way around – if a recipe calls for nutritional yeast flakes, do not substitute with brewer’s yeast, torula yeast, or active yeast sold in packets. It’s not the same thing and won’t deliver the results you want.

Worried that yeast isn’t vegan? Assuage your fears here. But the short answer is that yeast is part of the fungus family, like mushrooms.

(Update: Lots of folks have messaged about this nutritional yeast jar. It was made by vegan potter, Jeanette Zeis. You can find them here in her Etsy shop.)

How does nutritional yeast taste?

I’ll admit that the name nutritional yeast flakes doesn’t sound wholly appealing. (If you can’t bear to call it nutritional yeast, give nooch a whirl. It’s a popular slang term for it in the vegan community.) Luckily, it makes up for it in taste. It has a cheesy, nutty flavor that is a wonderful addition to sauces, dips, or gravies.

When it comes to flavor, nutritional yeast can be a bit divisive. It seems to be one of those love it or hate it foods like cilantro or mushrooms. I fall strongly into the former camp. It’s also important to know that the flavor of nutritional yeast can vary from brand to brand. So if you don’t like it the first time around, give it another chance with a different brand.

Is nutritional yeast good for you?

Yes! In addition to giving foods a cheesy taste, nutritional yeast is also a source of protein and vitamin B12. (Although, I recommend taking a regular B12 supplement as well, if you’re vegan. A B12 deficiency is nothing to mess around with.)

Where can you buy nutritional yeast?

Nutritional yeast is popping up in more and more places nowadays. In addition to being sold at Whole Foods and other natural grocery stores, Trader Joe’s recently started selling their own TJ’s brand. It’s also for sale at Hy-Vee (in the health market), Walmart, and Amazon. It’s usually in the natural foods section, near the baking stuff like flour, or with the supplements.

My favorite brands are Bragg & KAL. However, I tend to buy whatever is in the bulk bins at my natural grocery store.

How do you store nutritional yeast?

As you’d probably guess since it’s sold in bulk bins, nutritional yeast does not need to be refrigerated. It can be stored anywhere cool and dark to preserve its B vitamins. A ceramic jar in the pantry or on the countertop works fine.

Since it’s a dry product, the key is keeping moisture out. If you’d prefer, it can also be frozen in a sealed, air-tight bag. It has a shelf life of 1 to 2 years.

How do you use nutritional yeast?

So you’ve purchased nutritional yeast, and now you don’t know how to use it? Here are some ideas to get you started.

Comments

I hope your kitties love it as much as mine do! You can get a nutritional yeast jar from potter, Jeanette Zeis. She doesn't have any in stock on her Etsy page currently, but I'm sure if you sent her a message, it could be arranged. I adore her work.

Nooch is basically my favourite thing ever! Whenever I'm going to be settled somewhere for a month whilst travelling it's the first thing that I buy so that I can spend the month making cheese sauces and spreads, tofu scramble, and creamy pasta dishes. So much yum! Also, the pic of your kitty with a bowl o'nooch is the cutest!!

That's great, Jojo. You are a true nooch enthusiast. I would be the same way if I did the same kind of long-term traveling that you do. Avon was more than happy to be the nutritional yeast model for this post! :D

Nooch is life. LIFE! I don't think that is being overdramatic. ;)
I have a similar jar to yours, except mine is pink. It was a very happy day opening that package from the US and finding that nothing had broken in transit!
Alas, none of my cats have enjoyed nutritional yeast. I don't understand. They just turn up their noses at it.

Haha! Not overdramatic in the slightest. ;) I'm so glad your nutritional yeast jar made it to Australia unscathed. I would have been opening the shipping box with bated breath too. That's too bad that your kitties have been disinterested in nutritional yeast. I suppose it's a cat's purr-ogative to like what she likes! :D

I have got to feel a bit naked without nooch. I think two of my favourite recipes using it are tofu bacon and tofu besan omelet but I want to try all of your recipes with it - such amazing stuff. I think it is a bit of an acquired taste but once you are addicted there is no turning back. Surprised to hear that the same is true for cats - love your pic of your kitty in the nooch.

I hear you! The first time I bought a container of nooch, I balked at the price. It was $20 for a massive container, and I wasn't sure how often I'd use it. (They didn't have any in the bulk bins at that time.) Little did I know, getting through that container - and many more to follow - wouldn't be an issue! That's interesting that it's an ingredient in one of your favorite tofu bacon recipes. It wouldn't have occurred to me to use it there. Sounds delicious!

Hi Cadry.
Great informative blog and fabulous pics -- thank you. I too had never heard of nutritional yeast before going vegan in Jan 2016. Since discovering it, I've never looked back and now I use it regularly, sometimes just eating it by the spoonful, although I particularly like it on popcorn.
I agree with your comments about B12. I used to think that B12 is the Archilles' heel of veganism, but yes, I now believe that regular supplemention is advisable. I first starting purchasing nooch from the bins at a local bulk foods store until I found out that it did not contain B12 -- apparently some manufacturers add it; some don't. I now buy the "Lotus" brand of 'Savoury Yeast Flakes' which is packed in Australia from imported ingredients from the USA. It's slightly more expensive, but as well as the dried yeast it is also fortified with niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), riboflavin (B2), thiamine (B1), folic acid (B9), and vitamin B12. I'm not sure if this satisfies our daily requirements, so to be on the safe side, I also take a daily supplement. However, I do know that the Lotus brand certainly tastes the most nutritious!
Keep up the good work ... and regards to Avon. 😊

I haven't tried giving any to my cats. I'll have to see if they are interested - they can be snobs about new things. lol
My favorite way to use nutritional yeast is in a chicken-style seasoning that I use in TONS of recipes, including on popcorn. If you like regular nutritional yeast on it, you'll adore this on it! It also features highly in just about all of my soup recipes and most of my tofu recipes.
I'd never googled my recipe for it before, but it made me pretty excited to find it 2nd on the list of the search! Here's a link. https://cheerfullyvegan.wordpress.com/2012/02/28/chicken-style-seasoning/

I hear you, Mumrah! You're not alone in finding the word "nooch" cringe-worthy. I've been vegan for nearly 10 years, and I've heard that slang for it the entire time. The first person I heard use it was Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She refers to it as nooch in her books, but she may or may not have been the person who popularized it.

so far I have only purchased a small amount of this product from a large bin in the health foods section. there was no label giving nutritional info or shelf life or storage directions.
1 Do I keep it in the pantry or fridge?
2 What exactly is in it? I need to know before letting my allergy kids taste it.

Those are excellent questions, Judy! I added some information about shelf life & storage instructions in the post above. Nutritional information can vary by brand, depending on how and if they fortify it. Since you have specific allergy concerns, I'd ask to see the package label at your grocery store. (They probably still have the big bag in the back that they use to fill the container.) Or you could buy a smaller bottle of it, so that you could read the label and be sure it didn't come into contact with any allergens by way of other customers.

I LOVE nutritional yeast and love that you have a whole post dedicated to it!
We're new vegans (Jan 6, 2017) and my favorite way used to be on buttered popcorn loaded up with nutritional yeast...I have since been using an air popper and using a spray liquid amino and then adding nutritional yeast. Doesn't stick very well. I am going to try your idea of vegan butter and then nutritional yeast.
We buy the KAL brand off Amazon (large can) and keep a 1/4 cup in it for sprinkling. That little container you show is adorable.
Looking forward to trying out some new recipes from this post.
Also, the word nooch is like nails on a chalkboard for me :)

It sounds like you are a nutritional yeast mega fan as well! I have heard others who can't tolerate the word "nooch" too. Although, it doesn't bother me, I definitely have slang terms that really bug me. So I know your pain!

I. Ought some after reading your post but have not used it yet. I'm intrigued about how popcorn will taste with it. Can dogs have it too? Mine eat dry food with a little Vegall on it-maybe I could sprinkle some "nooch" on it as well.